Sean was somewhat surprised. Discussing cooperation was clearly not within his expectations...
From all possible perspectives, there shouldn't be any necessity for collaboration between him and the Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj.
The former was an ambitious schemer seeking to dominate the world and dictate the future of humanity, while the latter was a great sorcerer guarding Earth and the order of time and space.
According to the conventional tropes of comics or movies, they should belong to opposing factions, locked in perpetual hostility.
Their first cooperation had been born out of necessity. Neither side wanted to recklessly escalate the conflict. At the time, Sean lacked the power to resist the Eye of Agamotto and was wary of the Sorcerer Supreme's influence, while the Ancient One had her own calculations.
Thus, they maintained a delicate balance...
But now, Sean held far more bargaining chips. Kamar-Taj and the Masters of the Mystic Arts no longer intimidated him, and the Time Stone within the Eye of Agamotto no longer posed a significant threat.
Cooperation refers to a joint effort between parties of equal standing to achieve a common goal.
Clearly, no such foundation existed between them.
"Dormammu's influence grows stronger by the day. Strange needs time to mature. I wish to enlist your power to deal with Kaecilius." The Ancient One did not beat around the bush, she made her request directly.
She stared at Sean, this once insignificant young man who had now ascended to the pinnacle of the world.
In terms of sheer personal power and widespread influence, he had even surpassed the leaders of the planet's great nations.
The monopolization of capital and the entanglement of interests had birthed Umbrella, a terrifying monstrosity. A research institution spanned multiple fields, wielding immense influence. Behind its red-and-white umbrella logo stood politicians, generals, capitalists...
These individuals firmly held the reins of power, steering the course of nations and the world, while Umbrella bound them together, absorbing them into its fold.
"With all due respect, your power alone should make erasing Kaecilius and his minions effortless. Why would you need my help?" Sean asked, eyebrow raised.
Wielding the Eye of Agamotto, the Sorcerer Supreme ranked among the top five in the planet's power hierarchy. Across the Nine Realms, she was a formidable presence.
Standing alone beyond the material world, she had fought Mephisto with her fists and kicked Dormammu with her feet, forcing the demonic entities of various dimensions to tread carefully.
Such dazzling feats commanded respect, even from the current Sean.
"At first, you allowed Kaecilius to thrive... perhaps out of guilt, or to leave an opponent for Strange. But as the timeline shifts, Kaecilius's growth has exceeded your expectations. Yet, given your abilities, cleaning up this mess shouldn't be a problem." Sean pointed out, leaning back in his chair, maintaining a cautious distance from the Ancient One.
With the Eye of Agamotto around her neck, her intentions were unclear.
That supreme artifact, named after the first Sorcerer Supreme, possessed the immense power to bend the rules of reality and reverse time. A single misstep could trap one in an endless time loop, with no escape unless the caster lifted the spell.
Had Sean not possessed three Infinity Stones to resist the Eye's silent erosion, he would never have wanted to meet the Sorcerer Supreme...
"Kaecilius is under Dormammu's protection. He can retreat into the Dark Dimension at any time, evading my sight. And... I am no longer at my full strength." Ancient One said, smiling bitterly.
She opened her palm, revealing an exquisite sandalwood folding fan, a cherished artifact.
"Dormammu's whispers of corruption echo incessantly in my ears. Drawing power from the Dark Dimension has brought me to this bitter end." Her expression was calm, devoid of excuses or remorse. She continued, "My time is near. I must devote all my strength to resisting Dormammu's maddening murmurs. I have no energy left to deal with Kaecilius."
Her tone carried no fear of death, only a faint sense of relief.
"Honestly, I'd prefer to fight Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension." Sean shrugged.
Dormammu was an existence distinct from Thanos. He had discarded his physical form, merging with the Dark Dimension to manifest an immense, godlike presence spanning infinite realms.
In this sense, Dormammu, who was nearly immortal and divine, surpassed the Mad Titan in certain aspects.
Yet, for this very reason, Dormammu was bound by the laws of the material world, confined to the Dark Dimension like a leviathan of the deep. While able to stir storms and sink ships, he was unable to set foot on land.
"The rewards I can offer are limited. The Eye of Agamotto is out of the question. It is Kamar-Taj's sacred relic, to be held only by the Sorcerer Supreme. Moreover, gathering all six Infinity Stones would endanger the entire universe. That is something I cannot allow." The Ancient One spoke bluntly, gently waving her sandalwood fan, her clear eyes flickering.
"Instead, I can offer something more interesting as payment." The Sorcerer Supreme seemed to recall something, she smiled faintly, "For example... the secrets of the multiverse."
Sean's heart jolted, his expression turning solemn. The term 'multiverse', spoken by the Ancient One, seemed to carry an inexplicable gravity, seizing his full attention.
"In scientific terms, the multiverse is a theoretical collection of infinite or finite possible universes, encompassing all that exists and could exist: all space, time, matter, energy, and the physical laws and constants that describe them." Ancient One abruptly shifted her tone, sounding like a lecturer in a classroom.
The Earth's mightiest sorcerer was now spouting scientific jargon, nearly making Sean chuckle, "Thanks to discoveries in modern quantum mechanics, the concept of 'parallel universes' has emerged. As the Sorcerer Supreme and wielder of the Eye of Agamotto, I often traverse the river of time, glimpsing fragments of the future."
"Different choices create variables in time, ultimately forming similar yet distinct parallel worlds. In another universe, I might be a stern old man with white hair... But that's not your focus. What comes next is." She paused, her expression growing grave as she met Sean's attentive gaze, "Long ago, I used the Eye of Agamotto to journey upstream along the river of time, peering into the past... Which is a simpler task than foreseeing the future."
"I saw... or perhaps 'perceived' is more accurate... beings of higher dimensions. They defy mortal comprehension, ancient entities born at the dawn of the universe. A mere glimpse of their blurred forms drained the Eye's power and nearly shattered my soul. As the vision collapsed, I caught sight of a dazzling river of stars; countless flickering points of light, each a familiar yet alien world. Perhaps that was... a new multiverse."
"Why tell me this?" After a long silence, Sean finally spoke, breaking the stillness.
Rarely did he allow his shock to surface so visibly.
"You do not belong to our world, yet you pursue certain things relentlessly. I suspect you seek the edge of the universe. Another reality, perhaps." The Ancient One answered calmly.
That had been her first and last glimpse into the universe's underlying truth.
Whether a similar multiverse truly existed was a question only higher-dimensional beings could answer...